Trolley-harp.



No. 802,173. PATBNTED 001217, 1905.

E. D ROCKWELL.

TROLLEY HARP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1905.

EDWARD D. ROCKWELL, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE LIBERTY BELL 00., OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT,

A CORPORATION.

TROLLEY-HARP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1905.

Application filed March 11, 1905. Serial No. 243.665.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. RooKwnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bristol,in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trolley-Harps; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a view in front elevation of a trolley-harp constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a side view thereof; Fig. 3, a rear view thereof with a portion of the harp proper broken away; Fig. 4, a view in vertical section on the line a b of Fig. 1 with the trolley-wheel removed, but shown by broken lines; Fig. 5, a view in transverse section on the line 0d of Fig. 2; Fig. 6, a detached perspective View of the wheel-shaft; Fig. 7, a detached View, in front elevation, of the locking-levers which are united to form a yoke; Fig. 8, a side view thereof; Fig. 9 comprises a view in elevation and an edge view of one of the contact-springs; Fig. 10, a detachedperspective View of one of the bearing-blocks; Fig. 10, a View thereof in outside elevation; Fig. 10 an end View thereof; Fig. 11, a broken sectional view on the line a fof Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow g; Fig. 12, a

detached view of one of the modified forms which the contact-springs may assume; Fig. 13, an edge view thereof.

My invention relates to an improvement in trolley-harps of the type shown in my prior patents Nos. 748,987 and 770,113, the object being to produce a simple, compact, convenient, and durable trolley-harp constructed with particular reference to allowing the trolley-wheel and its shaft to turn with respect to the harp, so as to permit the wheel to accommodate itself to deflections in the trolleywire.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown the trolley-wheel 2, which may be of any approved construction, is mounted upon a shaft 3, the ends of which are correspondingly flattened to form keys 4, entering elongated slots 5 of corresponding cross sectional shape and formed in oblong nut-like bearing-blocks 6, the outer faces 7 of which are longitudinally convexed from end to end to permit the blocks to move back and forth independently of each other without cramping. It may be said in this connection that when the device is in use the trolley-Wheel 2 is deflected by the trolley-wire in one direction or the other, causing the shaft'3 to swerve and one or the other of the two blocks to be moved forward. If the blocks had flat outer faces, they could not be moved independently of each other, but would cramp, except when moved uniformly together. The said blocks 6 are respectively located in guideways 8, corresponding to each other and formed in the outer ends of the inner faces of the parallel arms 9 of a fork-like frame 10, constituting the harp proper, this frame being also formed with ashank 11, receiving a long stud 12, designed to enter a socket formed for its reception in the upper end of any ordinary trolleypole. Plate-like shoes 13 are located in the bottoms of the guideways 8 to form bearings for the convexed outer faces of the bearingblocks, whereby superior electric connections are maintained at these points.

Between the ends of the hub 14 of the wheel 2 and the inner faces of the blocks I locate contact-springs, each consisting of two disks 15, each having a finger 16 and secured together by a rivet 17, passing through the said fingers, the disks being set in divergent planes and sprung together when put in place. Inasmuch as they then constantly tend to spring apart, they maintain a constant contact between the ends of the hub and the inner faces of the bearing-blocks and accommodate themselves to the ever-changing positions of the trolley-wheel 2 and shaft 3, which are constantly deflected into planes intersecting the parallel planes of the arms 9 of the frame. According to this deflection the compound contact-springs will be compressed or relieved, sometimes one and sometimes the other; but their expansion is always great enough to more than take care, so to speak, of any relief of pressure at either end of the shaft, so that the path for the current from the pole to the frame is always maintained.

The outer ends of the guideways 8 are made open for the introduction and removal of the bearing-blocks 6, and hence of the wheel 2 and shaft 3. NOW in order to normally look the bearing-blocks in the guideways I employ locking levers or stops 18, hung upon pivots 19, and, as shown, having their lower ends united by a reach 20, so that the two locking-levers and the reach together form a yoke-shaped piece. Midway of itslength the yoke 20 is formed with a locking-notch 21 for the reception of the beveled nose of a bolt 22, located in a chamber 23 in the frame 10 and having a stem 24 encircled by a spring 25, the projecting outer end of the stem being furnished with an operating or finger piece 26, having its lower face formed with a notch 27 to receive aguiding-rib 28 made integral with the frame 10.

If desired, the two-part contact springs might be replaced by contact-springs of some other formsuch, for instance, as the washerlike spring shown by Fig. 12, in which adiskshaped plate 29 is cut so as to form segmental fingers 30, which are bent inward or outward, so as to virtually thicken the plate and make it compressible and expansible flatwise. If desired, also one of the bearing blocks 6 may be made rigid by casting or otherwise with one end of the. trolley-wheel shaft 3, as it is necessary that only one of these bearingblocks should be removable. The modification just above suggested is thought too plain to require illustration; but on this point my prior patent, No. 748,987, may be referred to. In this connection it may be explained that in case only one of the bearing-blocks is made removable the fixed block may be grasped for pulling the shaft out of the wheel after the same has been released by the locking-levers and entirely removed from the harp.

I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown, but hold myself at liberty to make such departures therefrom as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In atrolley-harp, the combination witha frame having guideways, of a trolley-wheel, a trolley-wheel shaft, bearing-blocks located upon the ends of the said shaft and entering the said guideways in which they are movable to permit the shaft and wheel to swivel with respect to the frame, and one of the said blocks being removable with respect to the shaft,

contact-springs interposed between the ends of the hub of the wheel and the inner faces of the said blocks, each of the said contact-springs consisting of two disks each having a finger by means of which the disks are secured together and means for retaining the said blocks in the said guideways.

' 2. Inatrolley-harp, the combination with a fork-like frame the arms of which have guideways, of a trolley-wheel, a trolley-wheel shaft passing through the said wheel, oblong bearing-blocks having their outer faces convexed from end to end located upon the ends of the said shaft and entering the said guideways in which they arelongitudinally movable to permit the shaft and wheel to swivel with respect to the frame, contact-springs interposed between the ends of the hub of the wheel and the inner faces of the said blocks; and means.

for retaining the said blocksin the said guideways.

3. In atrolley-harp, the combination with a frame having guideways, of a trolley-wheel, atrolley-wheel shaft, bearing-blocks located upon the ends of the said shaft and entering the said guideways in which they are movable to permit the said wheel and shaft to swivel with respect to the said frame, and one of the said blocks being removable with respect to the shaft, two two-plate contactsprings the plates of which normally stand at an angle with respect to each other, and each plate being furnished with a projecting arm by means of which they are connected together; and means for retaining the said blocks in the said guideways.

4. In a trolley-harp, the combination with a frame, of a trolley-wheel, a trolley-wheel shaft, bearing-blocks for the latter, lockinglevers for holding the said blocks in place, the said levers being united by a reach .with which they are integral; and aspring-actuated bolt mounted in the said frame, engaging with the said reach and provided at its outer end with a handle-piece notched to receivea guiding-rib on the frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD D. ROCKWELL.

Witnesses:

MILEs LEWIS PEOK, HOWARD S. PECK. 

